Radical makeover or just a nip & tuck?

One of the biggest considerations in a rebrand is how drastic to go with it. Rebranding doesn’t always mean you need to create a new name, logo, message.. fire some staff.. buy a new stapler.. or whatever else you can think of to change that working environment of yours. Sometimes just a little tweak here and there can be enough.

Many brands have revitalised themselves with only simple changes. Take Apple for example, one of the best known brands in the world. They began their life in 1976 known as Apple Computer Co. but as they evolved into new lines of business beyond computers, that name became restrictive. The solution? A quick snip to the nonessential words and the simplicity of Apple was ready for growth.
Not a drastic change – but a significant one.

They have, however, also had their radical makeover…

Please don’t fall off your chair when I show you this.

This original, too complex logo was scrapped less than a year later. Can you imagine how differently we might view their brand today with this logo? But anyway, that’s a whole new blog post in itself.

They then moved on to the lovely apple with the bite missing – with some brash colours to boot, and thankfully in 1998 on to the monochrome versions that we know and love today.

A big makeover is always a risk for any company, but even more so when that company is well-known and well-loved. The timing of Apple’s makeover was perfect – right at the beginning before they were fully established. Just think of the outrage they would cause with a rebrand of a similar level nowadays! A few die hard fans might smash instead of bite that apple.

So Apple have been through the works in the world of rebranding…

A full makeover to kick things off, some polishing of the features, a quick snip of the unwanted and a little wardrobe change to finish.